Back To The Start
by nyssa123
Summary: Eames comes back from the future to save Arthur from an untimely death. Arthur/Eames.
1. Chapter 1

"Eames, this isn't funny."

Arthur stood in the doorway of his hotel room, arms crossed over his chest. "You can't just show up here like this. There are such things as boundaries, you know."

"Yeah, I know." The older man was leaning heavily on the wall, breathing heavily. "Look, I just ran up eleven flights of stairs, can you let me in?"

"No." He glared. "Jesus, what happened to your face?" He gestured at a large scar running across his left cheekbone.

"It doesn't matter. Arthur, this is serious." Eames looked him straight in the eye, his intense gaze a drastic change from his usual laid-back demeanor. "Please."

Arthur faltered. "I- oh, fine. Get inside before someone sees you." He ushered Eames in, glancing up and down the barren hallway before closing the door.

He turned back to see Eames staring oddly at the suitcase that lay on the chair beside the bed.

"The PASIV?" He said, glancing over his shoulder.

"Of course." His arms returned to their folded position, partly out of indignation but mostly due to habit. "How did you find me?"

"That's not important." Eames shot one last glance at the PASIV before facing Arthur. "You can't take this job."

"How did you know I was on a job?"

"Don't ask. Just listen." He grabbed Arthur's hands. "You can't go under tomorrow. I can't explain, it would take too long, and we don't have much time. We need to get to somewhere safe. Actually-" He glanced at his watch. "Shit. Okay, grab anything valuable, anything you wouldn't want to lose." Arthur went to get the PASIV, but Eames shook his head. "Anything except that."

Arthur scowled venomously. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

"Darling, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. However, when I tell you that a bomb is going to go off and destroy this room in-" he checked his watch again, "Two minutes, you probably should."

Arthur stared at him for a second before stuffing his wallet, iPhone, and a spare suit jacket into the backpack lying on the floor. "If this is some sort of joke, I'm going to kill you and hide parts of your body in various countries so that they'll have to put you back together like a jigsaw puzzle."

"I wouldn't put it past you, love." He wrapped a hand around Arthur's wrist and tugged him out the door. "Don't dawdle."

"I wasn't dawdling." Arthur said indignantly, striding down the hallway after Eames. They took the stairs down two at a time, Arthur struggling to keep up. "Jesus, Eames, this is ridicu-"

His sentence was cut off as the entire building shook, the solid concrete shivering. Arthur lost his balance, fell forward onto Eames, and they tumbled down onto the landing in a heap. They untangled themselves and Eames offered Arthur a hand up.

"I told you so." he smiled thinly. "Come on, we need to hurry."

Arthur's mouth was taut, a grim slash against his wan face. "Okay. Yeah, okay."

Eames tugged him down the last few flights of stairs and through the chaotic lobby, which was crowded with screaming people. As they tumbled out onto the sidewalk Arthur glanced back up at the hotel. Where his room had been five minutes ago was now a huge smoking hole in the side of the building, flames barely visible licking at the charred edges of the blown-out windows. He gaped at it as Eames hailed them a cab. As they sat together on the back seat, driving away with the sounds of approaching fire engines and police cars in the distance, Eames turned to look at him.

"This is probably a bad time, darling, but what would you think if I told you I was from the future?"


	2. Chapter 2

Fifteen minutes later they were sitting in a tiny back-alley cafe, Eames cradling a tiny espresso cup in his too-large hands. It looked ridiculous, like a grown up playing with a little girl's tea set, but Arthur was too fixated on staring at him incredulously to notice.

"This is insane."

"I know, five euros for a spoonful of coffee does seem overpriced, but it really is very good."

"Sorry, let me rephrase that." Arthur pointed at Eames. "YOU are insane."

"It's nothing I haven't heard before, darling."

The point man buried his head in his hands. "I need a moment."

"Take your time. We're relatively safe now." Eames took a sip from the small cup. "Are you sure you don't want a drink?"

"Not unless it's vodka."

Eames shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Also, as a recovering alcoholic, I must suggest that you stop drinking so much. It's not good for your liver."

"Recovering?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "That's a joke."

Eames tapped the side of his nose. "From the future, remember? Present-Me is in a bar right now, actually, hitting on a twink named Jared who will later attempt to steal my wallet. Future-Me-" he spread his arms wide, "Drinks coffee."

Arthur took a deep breath. "Explain this again. I think I'm still in shock from the ride over."

Eames ran a finger over his scar absent-mindedly. "In my time stream, you were still in the hotel when that bomb went off. Thankfully for you, at the time you were in the hallway, and instead of being killed you were only injured. However, the next day you go to the warehouse where you're working with your current team to perform an extraction on the son of a mob boss named-"

"... Antonio Gorlami. We're going to put him under tomorrow to try to find out where his father is exporting illegal weapons from."

"Exactly. Anyway, midway through the job your team gets ambushed by a group of men working for Gorlami. You find out that your architect was a mole and that your position is compromised. Your team tries to escape, but in the ensuing shoot-out you end up killing Gorlami's son."

Arthur shook his head. "No way. I'd never kill someone I was performing an extraction from."

"It's purely an accident. He gets caught in the crossfire. At least, that's what you tell me when you show up at my apartment at 3 AM with your suit covered in blood." Eames narrows his eyes. "I don't know why you come to my place. I never will. All I know is that you ask for my help, and I give it to you.

"I help you get out of the country. I go with you, to protect you, because I know Cobb would kill me if I left you alone. Gorlami puts a hit out on you, and the next thing I know we're running all over the world, trying to stay ahead of the guys trying to kill you for the price on your head. And somewhere along the way, don't ask me how," he took a deep breath, "We fall in love."

"Me and you? How does that even happen?" Arthur stared down at his hands, feeling his face flush.

"Don't ask me." Eames shrugged. "All I know is, in the future, somewhere between Mumbai and Kiev, you fall in love with me."

There was an awkward silence. Eames gulped down the last of his espresso and hunched his shoulders. Finally, Arthur looked up.

"So..." he dragged out the word. "I'm afraid to ask. What happens next? We have six adopted Asian babies and live happily ever after?"

Eames ducked his head and closed his eyes, and Arthur felt his stomach sink. "Not exactly." He kept speaking, head down, the pain in his voice evident.

"We lived in hiding for five years. I thought we had finally found somewhere where we could rest, somewhere where we didn't have to worry about being found." he laughed bitterly, and a shiver ran down Arthur's spine. "I was wrong.

"They caught up with us on September 13th. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, especially for early fall. I went out to get the groceries and I left you alone at the house. When I got back-" he paused. Arthur realized he was holding his breath. "What I got back, they were gone. But they left, uhm." Eames cleared his throat, pressing his fist to his eyes. "You. They left you on the bed."


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur leaned back against the chair. "Jesus."

"Yeah."

"I mean, that's..." Arthur blinked. "I'm sorry."

Eames looked up. "Why?"

"Isn't that what you're supposed to say when someone dies?"

"Well, the someone isn't usually you."

"This is so weird."

"I know. And I hate to spring this all on you at once. But you can't go in tomorrow. You just can't. Do you understand?"

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, of course. Um... shit, I should probably fly back to the US tonight."

"Probably." Eames beckoned the waiter over and paid the check. They left the cafe and Eames stuck out his arm to get a taxi. Arthur grabbed him instead.

"I can walk, it isn't far. Will you come with me?"

Eames nodded and they started off down the street.

"So, how did you get back here?"

"What, you mean how did I travel back in time?"

Arthur shrugged. "It's a valid question."

He laughed. "Yeah, it is. Sorry, I forgot all about that, what with the bomb and all." He smiled. "I had heard about a machine that the army was working on and I broke into a lab to get to it."

"You didn't."

"I did."

Arthur laughed. "You really are insane."

"Yeah, but you love me for it." They stopped in their tracks. Eames' face crumpled and they started walking again, heads down.

"So, um, you got in?"

"Yes." Eames pulled his jacket tighter around him. "It wasn't hard, really, their security was awful. It turned out the machine wasn't perfected yet, but I didn't need it to be."

"So what was wrong with it?"

Eames glanced up at the night sky, barely visible between the bright lights of the city. "Nothing I can't deal with."


	4. Chapter 4

"So, how does it start?"

Eames shrugs. "I couldn't really tell you. I guess when you spend all day, every day together for a year and a half you just get closer."

Arthur's eyebrows raised. "It took a year and a half for us to get together?"

Eames grinned. "Yeah. It kind of freaked me out, actually. I was worried you would try to kill me if I did anything."

"I wouldn't have done that."

"Well yeah, I know that now. You make the first move, in the end, to my eternal thankfulness."

"Really?" Arthur frowned. "I don't usually. My girlfriend in high school had to practically beg me to go to prom with her."

"Being gay might have added to that, darling."

"I wasn't then."

"Really."

"Well, I didn't know then." Arthur conceded. "My family was really conservative. It took me a long time to figure everything out."

"I know."

"How- oh. Right." He shook his head. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to that."

"Don't worry about it." They walked along in comfortable silence for about a block. They could hear the faint reverb of a car alarm from far off and a dog barking from an empty lot. Arthur kicked at a flyer that lay torn and crumpled on the ground.

"How did you get the scar?"

Eames laughed. "We got in a bar fight in Thailand. Someone insulted my shirt."

"Seriously? You started a fight over that?"

"I wasn't the one who started it, darling. Apparently you're the only one allowed to think my choice in fashion is hideous."

Arthur stared. "I started a bar fight. In Thailand. To defend the honor of your shirt."

"Yes."

"Was it paisley?"

A smile curved Eames' lips, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "I do believe it was."

Arthur laughed and reflexively grabbed his hand. "You bastard." The laugh cut off as he glanced down at their entwined hands, then back up to Eames' face. They held each other's gaze for a moment, steady, their eyes locked. Arthur could feel Eames' breath on his cheek, hot and smelling of coffee and cigarettes.

Eames let go of Arthur and raised his hands, cupping the point man's face in his palms. He leaned down and captured his lips softly. Arthur felt himself relax against the forger's chest. He closed his eyes and placed his hands on Eames' hips for balance and warmth and contact.

The broke apart slowly and stood still, their forehead's pressed together, Eames rubbing Arthur's cheek with the calloused pad of his thumb.

"God." Eames voice broke on the single syllable. "I miss you so much."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He pressed a kiss to Arthur's mouth, hungry and sad and frantic. "Don't ever be sorry. For anything. Ever." He held tight. "You were my whole life, Arthur. And I know that by doing this, it means that everything that happened, everything that we did, every single goddamn year and month and day and second we spent together since today is going to be gone. It's going to be erased, and I'll disappear, and I don't CARE, because you'll be okay. You'll be alive, and that's all that I care about."

"Eames-" Arthur croaked.

"That's how the machine works. You change the past, your future is gone. In a few minutes I'm going to disappear from the time stream, and you're going to be alone, and I am so, so sorry for that, but I had to do it, Arthur, I HAD TO."

"Please don't go, Eames, please!"

Eames pried Arthur's grip off him gently and stepped back. "It was worth it to have a few more hours with you."

"I don't want you to leave." Arthur could hear how desperate his voice sounded, how pitiful. "I only just met you."

Eames laughed through his tears. "Don't be thick. You've known me for years." He kissed him again. "You just have to find me."

"I love you."

He smiled toothily, a shadow of the old Eames- the one Arthur had known before tonight- peeking through.

"I know, darling."

Arthur blinked, and he was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

"Arthur! What a surprise."

Eames stood in the doorway of his hotel room, squinting blearily. A pair of grey sweatpants were slung low on his hips and his t-shirt was wrinkled. "You've woken me up. I thought you were in Holland. What's the occasion?"

"Nothing in particular." Arthur smoothed his hair back nervously. "Can I come in?"

Eames nodded. "Yeah, of course." He ushered him inside the dark room. "I'm afraid you'll have to deal with having the lights off, darling, I've got a hell of a hangover."

"I know." Arthur reached into his pocket and produced a bottle of aspirin. "Here, I got them in the duty free."

Eames frowned suspiciously. "Are they poison?"

"Hardly." Arthur rolled his eyes. "Hurry up, we need to talk."

The forger glared but took the bottle, retreating into the bathroom and running a glass of water. He came back a moment later, looking more alert. He sprawled out on the bed across from Arthur, who had settled in the desk chair and was holding his totem in one hand.

"So then. What's all this about?" he said. "Not that I'm ever disappointed to see you, darling, but this is rather an unexpected visit."

Arthur rubbed his totem absently. "Are you sober?"

"Unfortunately."

"That's too bad. You might want to break open the minibar; This is going to get pretty weird."

An hour later they were still sitting in the hotel room. Arthur had shed his jacket and was rolling the tiny die between his palms, staring up at the ceiling. Eames leaned back against the pillows on his bed, taking a swig from one of the tiny bottles of booze lying around.

"Well." Eames set the bottle down on the nightstand. "This is something different, all right."

"Yeah." Arthur met his gaze. "Look, I know this is sort of coming out of nowhere, but I mean, he... you... Future-Eames told me to find you, and I didn't really know what else to do, so I flew here. I figured..." He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just as confused as you are."

Eames scratched his head. "It's a bit sudden."

Arthur stood up hastily. "I mean, it's not like we have to start living together or anything, or get married, I mean, it was an alternate universe, and... I guess... I mean, it's not like we're a couple or anything."

"But we would be." Eames finished the statement. "Will be. Were? God, keeping track of the tenses alone is a nightmare."

"Mmm."

"I guess..." Eames glanced up at the ceiling fan. "We could always try it, couldn't we?"

"Try what?"

"Don't be thick."

Arthur coughed. "Well, I mean..."

Eames shook his head. "Sorry, that was too forward. Of course you don't want to do anything."

Arthur sat back down heavily. "I didn't say that."

Eames blinked. "Oh."

There was a moment where they just stared at each other.

"So. Any ideas?"

The point man shrugged. "We could kiss."

"We could do that."

"And, I mean, if it's uncomfortable we'll stop, and I'll leave, and we can never speak of this again."

"Yeah." Eames nodded. "Okay. That sounds like a plan."

Arthur got up and sat next to him on the bed. "Should we just lean in?"

"I guess." Eames cleared his throat. "This is sort of awkward."

"I noticed."

"Right. Sorry." He reached out and cupped Arthur's cheek with one hand. "Just... close your eyes."

Arthur nodded, complying. "Okay."

It was light, and soft, and rather quick, but Arthur could feel himself relaxing into Eames' touch, and despite the recently consumed alcohol and the fact that the forger obviously hadn't brushed his teeth yet there was something distinctively EAMES that he could taste, even after he had pulled away.

They stared at each other for a second before Eames dropped his hand back to his lap and Arthur straightened his tie.

"Well, that wasn't bad at all." Eames said, scratching his stubbled chin. Arthur nodded.

"No. Not bad at all." He glanced up. "What happens now?"

"I don't know." Eames took his hand. "I don't know."


End file.
